Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what advice his Department has provided to businesses based in London on ensuring that their businesses do not support the abuse of human rights in Hong Kong under the provisions of the National Security Law imposed on that formerly autonomous city by the Chinese Communist Party.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses with interests in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We would always advise businesses to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support, or risk being seen to be supporting, any human rights violations or abuses.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with representatives of (a) HSBC and (b) Standard Chartered since their statements on their support for China’s national security legislation for Hong Kong.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support he plans to provide to the independent tribunal on China's alleged genocide against Muslim Uighur population established by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We have serious concerns about gross violations of human rights occurring in Xinjiang and welcome any work that is rigorous, balanced and raises awareness of the situation faced by Uyghurs and other minorities in China. We are aware of this initiative by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, and will study any resulting report carefully.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of impunity for Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK regularly raises human rights concerns with the Sri Lankan government, including the importance of religious tolerance and protecting the rights of all its citizens to practice their faith. We are aware of reports of Buddhist extremism and our High Commission in Colombo regularly meets with faith groups to understand this.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote the right to freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to supporting government and civil society efforts to improve human rights, including freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka. We fund a range of projects in support of this through £8.3 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding. This includes projects that promote interfaith dialogue and increase awareness; encourage greater public debate and advocacy on issues concerning Freedom of Religion or Belief in Sri Lanka; and that counter youth radicalisation in areas prone to inter-religious conflict. Tackling inter-communal tensions will continue to remain among our priorities this year.